Blood and Coffee
by Elliebunk
Summary: Lorelai Gilmore recieves a package in the mail. When she opens it, she finds her house haunted by a certain bleached vampire.
1. Girls Night In

_AN: takes place post-BTVS S.7 and right after the finale of GG. S.6.  
Starts off a little slow, forgive me; it will pick up, I promise._

**Disclaimer: none of it's mine.**

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Richard, what is this?" Emily Gilmore demanded, striding into her husband's study. He looked up and saw the package she held in her hand. A pleased look broke across his face.

"Ah, you found the present I left you. Do you like it?" He asked

"Like it? I haven't even opened it yet. I went out to my car to find the new maid hiding it in my seat. I thought she was planting a car bomb or something, only to find out you told her to hide it there. Why would you do that?" Richard sighed, exasperated.

"Emily, it is a gift. I had her hide it so that it would be more of a surprise for you. Now why don't you open it?"  
Emily opened the packaged, and a big, gaudy necklace fell out of it. She stared at it in distaste.

"What in the world am I supposed to do with this, Richard? It's hideous; where did you get it?"

"That is an antique. Very valuable I'm told. My partners at Wolfram and Hart, that law firm in Las Angeles? They sent it to me." Emily looked down at the ugly necklace, trying to think of what to do with it.

"Well, perhaps Lorelai will like it. It should fit right in with that wardrobe of hers." She said dismissively. Richard sighed.

"Do whatever you want with it, Emily."

"Amelia! Send this atrocious piece of costume jewelry to my daughter please. And try not to add any anthrax to the package. If you're so determined to kill me, I'd like some member of my family to remain unharmed. Amelia!"  
Once Emily had left his study, Richard picked up his phone and dialed.

"Lindsay McDonald, please…just tell him… Everything's going according to plan."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Lorelei left Luke and made her way home. It was over. They had gone from being friends to lovers to even more than that, and now all of it was gone.  
She went into the house and threw off her shoes. Not caring where they landed. Walking to the kitchen, she opened the fridge and got out her emergency stash of Haagen-Daas. If there were ever a time to eat it, It was now. Lorelai took the ice cream and a spoon to the living room. She sat on the couch and took a bite, the events of the evening rushing back to her as she did. Lorelei set down the ice cream and curled up on the couch and started to cry.

'_Ring, Ring_!' The sound of the phone woke her. Lorelei jumped odd the couch to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Mom? I need to come over."

Lorelei opened the door and Rory flew into her arms.

"Oh, hey hon, it's all right." She said, trying to sooth her sobbing daughter.

"I-I know! It's just the immediate 'he's- gone- and- what- am- I- gonna- do' thing. It sucks!" She cried. The two separated and Rory wiped her eyes. Taking in her mom's rumpled appearance and own tear- streaked eyes, she asked,

"Mom, what's wrong?" Lorelei smiled sadly.

"Well, it doesn't look like Luke and I are getting married." She told her.

"WHAT! Why?"

After telling each other what had happened the night before, the two Gilmores sat on the couch, both as sad as hell.

"Guys suck. They come to you, make you fall for them, and then either leave or stop caring. Jerks. Is there any magic cure for this stuff? Any pill, or drink, or food that makes it all better? You've had this happen a lot more than me, you outta know."

Lorelei looked down at the coffee table and picked up her melted Haagen-Daas.

"Ice cream soup?"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

The girls woke up later in the afternoon, starved; the ice cream soup hadn't done much to fill them.

"So, I guess going to Luke's is pretty much out, huh?" Rory guessed.

"Pretty much. It would kinda take away from the storming off if we just go  
back the next morning demanding food."

"So we starve."

"Well, not necessarily. We could order in. I get pizza and sacrifice and let you get Indian?" she tried. Fortunately in worked.

"Really? Cool! I order, you pick movies."

"Deal. First, I'm gonna go grab the mail. The new Cosmo's out, and what's better for cheering a girl up than Cosmo and 'Fried Green Tomatoes'?  
Lorelei headed for the mailbox and pulled out her mail.

"Bills, Cosmo, package from my mother…agh." She groaned.

"Let me guess; the profiles of the 25 most eligible sons of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She would." She headed back inside and dropped the mail on the table, sans package.

"Hey! I got something from my mom. I think it's the details for my arranged marriage to my cousin Greg."

"Great. I just ordered. So we can go over seating charts and flower arrangements while we eat. I call dibs on Maid of Honor by the way."

Lorelei didn't answer. 'It's not like I don't already have a church.' She thought sadly. She started to turn the package around in her hands.

"It feels like a paperweight or something."

"Well, open it!" Rory called out from the kitchen. Lorelei reached for its flap and ripped. A brilliant light shot out, and a necklace fell to the floor. Dust started pouring out of it and building up, forming bones, muscles, skin. Suddenly, there was a screaming man standing in the Gilmore living room. Once he stopped yelling, he looked around, a shocked expression on his face. He backed up to the table behind him, only to look down and find himself standing in it. He looked up at Lorelei, and then around the room.

"Oh, bloody hell."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Rory rushed back into the living room when she heard screaming, and was shocked at what she saw.

"Mom, Billy Idol's standing in our table. Oh no, does that mean Billy Idol's dead?" The man looked down at himself and touched the wall experimentally. His hand went through. Looking like he was on the verge of a breakdown of some kind, he asked softly,

"Where's Buffy? Why am I here? Is this some sort of really bizarre hell dimension or something?"  
Lorelei stared at him, completely flabbergasted.

"Um, I don't know where Buffy is, possibly in England or something. It's not in America, anyway, cause no American would name a town that. Also, I don't know why you're here; was sorta hoping you could answer that for me, seeing as you're the one who poured himself outta my necklace and went all 'Mummy' in my living room. So, my turn, who are you?" She rambled, but the man had stopped listening after she mentioned the necklace.

"A necklace? Kinda like a big, ugly thing, right?" she nodded. "Where?"  
Lorelei pointed at the amulet lying next to the couch. He bent over to pick it up, and his hand went right through it.

" Oh bollocks!" he sighed frustrated. He turned to Lorelei.

" D'you think you could-?" he nodded in the direction of the amulet.

"Yea, that ghost things a problem, isn't it?" She picked up the amulet and held it out for him to see. She looked at him as he looked at it. He really was good-looking, for a dead guy.  
Rory came over to her mom and curiously joined in the studying of the ghost.

"…So, how long have you been dead?" she asked, at a loss. He looked up, distractedly,

"Oh, about one hundred-thirty years now, give or take." Rory raised her eyebrows.

"Oh. You've been trapped in that necklace the whole time?" He shook his head.

"No, just the last few months, judging by your calendar. Seems like no time at all." Lorelei's face scrunched up.

"I don't get it. The amulet is a…ghost- catching thing?"

"It's a long story, luv. Summary of it would be that I was wearing this when I saved the world a few months back, and I obviously got sucked up into it when I dusted." He told them matter- of- factly. They both stared at him.

"So," Rory started, "You're dead, but you saved the world, and you died again and got sucked into an amulet? And since when did they have hair dye and leather trench coats a hundred and fifty years ago?"  
The man looked at her, clearly offended.

" I am not a century and a half old! I said 130, give or take. And I got the coat in the seventies. And as far as saving the world, it wasn't the first time, pet."

"What about you dying twice? He looked them straight in the eyes and answered.

"_Vampire."_

That's when the laughter started.


	2. Redemption Song

**Disclaimer: Oh, just the usual; it's not mine, blah blah blah, Joss is god, blah blah blah, we owe him our meager little lives and should make sacrifices in his name... that must be the brainwashing speaking. GG isn't mine either, in case you wanted to know.**

_AN: There's a few things in here that might be a little different than btvs. I'm not sure, as I'm a little hazy on how the show explained it. Please just go with it_

_IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

Chapter Two:

After they had calmed down enough to breath, the man explained as best he could about the world they never knew existed. After answering numerous questions and showing them his vamp face, they almost believed him.

"-but I thought vampires were supposed to be all smooth and seducing and not have a weird, bumpy face; and while we agree you have the sexy thing down, there's still all the rest, right?" He rolled his eyes at Lorelei.

"You're so completely Hollywood-ized, it's unbelievable. Those are the fairy-tale vamps. luv; the ones they make up so you can sleep at night. The real vamps, the real demons; now they're somethin' else entirely. We're true monsters." He spoke bitterly, thinking back.

Lorelei looked away, sensing that something was bothering him.

"You know, you never told us your name, and as you're currently haunting us, I think that it's only fair that we know it." She informed him, changing the subject.

"It's Spike."

"Spike? Oh, there's gotta be a story behind that." He smiled grimly.

"It's not one that I'm proud of." Lorelai was trying to think of a way to get his mind off of whatever he was thinking about.

"So, did your mother name you that or is there something else? Cause I don't think I can call anyone who's not a big burly biker or teenager in a bad rebellious stage 'Spike'." He raised an eyebrow and smirked. He could see what she was trying to do.

"Y'can call me William." A huge grin broke across her face.

"Willy?"

"No." Rory started in too.

"Bill?"

"Billy?"

"Billy Idol?"

"How about just 'Idol'? I like that one."

"No."

"Ol' British Billy?"

"Pretty Billy?"

"Little Willy?"

" 'Ey!"

Lorelei smiled mischievously at him.

" We can keep this up for a long time."

"Yeah, now that we have food coming, we're good to go for hours." He sighed, beginning to see he couldn't win this one.

"Will's as far as I go."

"I like Will." Lorelei declared.

"It's much more approachable that William."

"But not as funny as 'Little Willy'."

" We'll have to make do, I guess."

"So, Thelma and Louise, y'two birds got any names?" Will asked. He had now figured out how to lean against wall without falling through, so he did.

Lorelei batted her eyes.

"You can call me Trixie, and this is Bambi." She told him breathlessly. Rory rolled her eyes.

"I'm Rory Gilmore, and the insane babbler is my mom Lorelei." Will looked a little disappointed.

"So, I'm not haunting hot lesbians, then," he muttered. Lorelei looked at him coyly,

"Well, there was that one time..."

"Ew! Mom!" Will chuckled. He might enjoy it here.

"Y'two seem to have taken to the idea of spooks pretty fast." He observed.

"Well, I've always believed in the supernatural. You should meet my mother, I've always known she wasn't human."

"Maybe she's a robot." Will suggested. Rory wrinkled her nose at that.

" I think even Grandma's too lifelike for a robot."

"Believe me, some robots van be very lifelike." He spoke knowingly.

"I sense the beginning of a very dirty story."

"One for another time, luv."

"There seem to be a lot of stories meant for another time."

"Well, my life wasn't like a normal persons. Our town was kinda known for its quirks."

"Where did you live?"

"Place called Sunnydale; little town in California. Attracted all sorts of tourists of the unusual and undead variety."

"Sunnydale. That's the town that just fell into a crater or something, right? What happened? Rory asked.

"Me."

"What?"

"Told ya I saved the world. Sunnyhell was on top of a Hellmouth, which is basically a spot where all the nasties in hell like to try and climb out of, an' all sorts of big bads were also attracted too it. Bit ago, there was a battle, fightin' the First Evil, the name pretty much sums it up. We were up against thousands of pure vamps, no human in 'em, and I had on the amulet, as it was meant for a champion, someone more then human. Middle of the battle, I start getting this tingly feelin', getting all warm. Suddenly, it shoots this beam of light out an' the sun is bein' channeled through me into it, killin' all the vamps. All the good guys who were still alive got out…Buffy didn't wanna leave me… pretty soon the earth started crumblin' down around me, whole town fallin' in. The light was finally too much for me an' I started dustin'…Hurt like hell.

That's how I died, an' that's what happened to the town, though y'won't hear that on the telly. Most likely hear somethin 'bout 'unstable foundations' or some rot; you'll never hear the truth. You never do."

They were all silent. Will was staring at nothing, remembering back. Rory and Lorelei sat, taking it all in. Lorelei looked up at Will, for some reason trusting him.

"I think I believe you now."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

It was decided that Will would stay with them, as he was, after all 'their ghost'. Will was a bit disappointed though, when he was told that the bathroom was strictly off limits, and the first time they caught him in there while they were in the shower, they'd call the first exorcist they could find.

The girls spent the rest of the night, as it had become, telling Will about themselves. Somehow, the three got on the subject off relationships and spent hours bashing their exes; Jess, Buffy, Luke, Dru, Dean, Jason. It was soon decided that Will had the worst taste, but that they all sucked at relationships.

Will told them about his life- becoming a vampire, being evil, the chip, the soul, the Scooby gang. He explained about demons and Slayers, described flowered onions to the junk food queens. By the time morning rolled around, they knew everything there was to know.

"Augh, do you realize that it's seven in the morning?" Lorelai groaned.

"I'm gong to bed." Rory told them, stumbling off.

"Will, you need sleep? Do ghosts sleep?" Lorelei asked.

"Not that I've noticed, Thelma. Might step outside for a bit, see if I burst into flames."

" 'K." she yawned. "Don't get any deader."

"Night." Will responded.

Will walked through the door and onto the porch. The sun beat down on him, and he couldn't feel a thing. '_Figures_.' he thought as he sat down on the stairs. He didn't move from his spot for quite some time, until a truck pulled up and a flannel-clad man climbed out.

" C'n I help ya, mate?" he asked the man as he neared the steps. The guy looked at him suspiciously.

"No thanks, I'm just here to see Lorelei. Who are you?" he asked, glaring at him.

"Name's William. An y'might not wanna go in, the bint's sleeping, she had a long night." Will leaned back, looking smug. " You're Luke, right?" Luke was taken aback.

"Um, yeah. What do you mean she had a long night? Why are you here?" Will tilted his head and looked up at Grizzly the Mountain Man.

"I'm an old friend. I'm in town, an' Lorelei invited me to stay for a bit."

"A bit? How long's 'a bit'?" Will shrugged noncommittally.

"Don't know, mate. As lone as she invites me with open…arms." Luke's face filled with rage. Was she sleeping with eh guy? She's given him an ultimatum less than two days before, and she was already with someone else?

"I need to talk to her. I'm her fiancé'." Will smirked at that.

"Yeah, I heard all about you, big guy. I'll tell her you came by. All right? Tell her t'give you a ring when she wakes up." Luke was seething as he got into his truck. She wouldn't do this to him; she loved him. She loved him.

Will couldn't help but chuckle as Luke drove away. It'd been awhile since he had seen such a murderous rage on someone's face. Not since that time with Anya… The laugh died in his throat. He remembered the hurt on Xander's face, on Buffy's. He remembered the dull ache in his heart after he and Anya had finished. He had just wanted to forget, wanted the pain to stop. Now the pain was still tearing him apart and the memories still haunted him .He made his way back inside, having lost any joy the sun offered

He'd sought redemption once and thought he'd received it. Now he knew that he hadn't; these were his sins and he would forever suffer for them. Spike's sins.


	3. The end as we know it

DISCLAIMER: For the last time people, it's NOT MINE! Believe me, if it was, that Spuffy and the whole Jess leaving Stars Hollow things would have NEVER happened!

_AN: I'm trying to move thins story on pretty fast, sorry if it bugs anyone. Some of the stuff in here most of you will find a bit cheesy or unbelieving (you'll see), but it's what I could imagine happening, and I like it! _

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

Chapter Three:

Will got to the kitchen at the same time that Rory did.

"Good morning." She told him, going to the coffee maker. She still wasn't sure what to make of him, or what he had told them. For now, she decided, a little wariness was best.

"Awake already, Junior?" He asked her.

"Well, I realized that if I slept for too long, my entire system would be thrown off, so I set my alarm. The coffee should wake my mom. Which I'll thank me for when she doesn't come wake me in the middle of the night cause she's bored." She explained to him.

"Ah." They stood, unsure of what to make of each other's presence. Rory began to fidget, looking like she wanted to say something.

"Y'can ask it, Pet."

"Ask what?"

"Whatever it is that's got you in a bother." He told her. She looked away.

"I guess I was just wondering if you're gonna tell Buffy. About you being, well, whatever you are."

"D'you think I should?" he asked her. She shrugged.

" I don't know. It's weird; if you tell her, it wouldn't really be fair to either of you, since you're kinda non-corporeal, but if you don't, it's not exactly fair either. You'd be deciding for her, which would completely suck. I just wanted to know what your plans were." She told him.

Will didn't answer for a moment.

"You are a smart one, aren't ya? Got it more figured out that I do." He sighed, crossing his arms. " I don't know what I'm gonna do. I've been thinkin' about it, and I just don't know. She can move on now, no guilt. If she finds out I'm back, I don't know what she'll do. Said she loved me, right before I made 'er leave, but I don't think she meant it. She'll be happier without me, maybe find a decent bloke for a change. And maybe I'll move on someday; fined a bird crazy enough to take me on. Bit of a challenge, that. Could be fun." Rory moved to touch his shoulder, then remembered she couldn't.

"It's sounds to me like you've already decided; maybe you just haven't wrapped your head around it yet." He nodded.

"Might be right, twiggy. Probably for the best."

" And besides, there's a lot of crazy women in the world, Will. You should have quite a few to choose from." Will chuckled at that.

" You know, my mom has the same problem. Well, kinda. She meets guys who aren't prepared for her 'uniqueness'. So far, every guy she's dated has sucked. I thought Luke might be it, though. Turns out he doesn't understand either." Will looked at her sheepishly.

"Yeah, 'bout him. He sorta stopped by this morning, had a bit of a chat. Some things might've being implied, questions answered untruthfully, a dance with scarves described in excruciating detail…but the important part is he's mad and has lost any kind of confidence he had left." Rory shook her head, disbelieving.

"You didn't, did you? William, look at me; did you tell Luke that you slept with my mom?"

"Not in so many words. The less you say, the more they imagine. It's bloody brilliant."

"But why?" The smirk slipped off his face and he turned to her, serious. Rory saw sadness on his face, hidden beneath the mask.

"Because he needs to know that he's a stupid git for hurting you mum, and he's never gonna know what he lost until it's completely out of his grasp. Maybe then he'll stop being such a bloody ponce. You said it yourself; she deserves someone who appreciates everything about her, who understands it. That idiot she was with obviously knew nothing. Maybe a scare is all it would take for him to understand what she's worth, and I gave 'im that. And if it isn't, then she's better off without him." Rory gave him a small smile, understanding why he did it.

" You did it because you were worried about her."

"Rory, I spent the last year living in a houseful of women and the century before that with Dru. I've become a bit overprotective of the women I love with, especially when it comes to the bloody stupid men they date." She had a full-out grin on her face now, liking his big-brother attitude.

"I think you'll be good for her. I hate the thought of her being alone here when I'm at school; now she won't be. You'll take care of her." Will nodded.

"Course I will. The Mountain Man'll never get near her."

"And you won't let her near the stove."

"Right."

"Rory!" Lorelei called from upstairs. "Why'd you start the coffee? You know I can't sleep through that!"

"Kinda the point." Rory called up.

" You know," she said as she came down the stairs, "If Willy Wonka here wasn't all Patrick Swayze 'Ghost'-y, I'd make him bite you."

"Oh, come on, luv. Y'know the only one I want to nibble on is you." Will teased her.

"Yep. He's got the seduction thing down." Will smirked. He'd missed all the teasing and leering that had gone on in Sunnydale.

"So hon, when do you have to head back to school?" Lorelei asked as she got out the leftovers.

"Tonight. I've got classes in the morning. I think I'm gonna stay at Logan's. It kinda feels like home." Lorelei hugged her.

"Well, it's either that or moving back in with Paris and Doyle and they kinky sex games."

"Yeah, that was kinda weird."

"What kind of sex games?" Will asked, his interest piqued. The two Gilmores turned to glare at him.

"Are all guys completely disgusting?"

"Well, excuse me for having to live vicariously through others, but if I tried anything, I'd probable go _through_ the girl 'stead of _in_- "

"Please don't finish that." Begged Lorelei.

"Figures. We have a horny ghost."

"Well, I _am_ a vampire, luv. We're kinda known for it."

"Every guy says that. Well, usually not the vampire part, but the horndog thing, yeah."

"Oh, that reminds me; Luke called earlier and wants you to call him back." Rory told her. Will and Rory exchanged a look.

"Oh, umm…" Lorelei looked at the phone and then shook her head. "You know what, maybe later. Today I'm hanging with you guys, the anger and tears can wait 'till later."

Will spoke up, hoping to take her mind off of Luke.

"So what did ya have in mind?" he asked as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I was thinking Jell-o shots followed by a game of strip poker and an adult movie marathon. I happen to have 'Naughty Night Nurses 4' unopened and waiting to be put to work." Will looked like he was in heaven.

"Oh, god. Please don't be kidding." The girls laughed.

"Oh, I've never been more serious, stud."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Rory left for Yale after an uneventful day of junk food and chick flicks, leaving Will and Lorelei alone. Over the days, the two fell into a routine; Will soon found out that with concentration he could touch things. Using his new talent, he would open the door for Paul-Anka and walk with the dog around town. When they got home, he'd decide on the movie for the night and wait for Lorelei to get home from work. He was bored a lot, spent many an hour talking to the dog. He missed the action of Sunnydale, he wished he could still fight; he missed the feel of someone's face against his fist. He'd settle for not falling through the wall, like he occasionally did. At least he could still lurk, and lurk he did.

Once Lorelei went to bed, Will would wander the town, Stars Hollow his at night. It wasn't very exciting, but at least for a bit he could pretend that things were normal again and he was on the hunt for some bad thing to kill.

The rest of the town knew that he was living at the Gilmore home, and most of them believed the same story Will had given Luke (minus the implications). After everyone got over the 'Luke and Lorelei forever' thing, they gradually came to accept Will as just another eccentric character in an eccentric town.

He became friends with Patty and Babette, of all people. And the three would sit and talk for hours; his nightly wanderings giving him a leg- up on all the gossip. He loved to shock the two women with all the information he found out while they were curled up in their beds, and they loved watching him tell them.

People soon found out that he didn't like to be touched, and so they refrained (much to the eternal disappointment of Miss Patty), and no one seemed to notice that he didn't eat much in public. All-in- all, he took to small-town haunting quite well.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Will? Do you ever miss Buffy?" Lorelei asked him one evening. The two had finished their movie-Lorelei's pick tonight-, and were lounging on the couch. William noticed that she had been quiet since she got home, and could sense her sadness.

"Sometimes, I guess. To be perfectly honest, I haven't thought about her that much lately." He told her, surprised himself that he hadn't so much as thought about Buffy in the last few weeks.

"Do you still love her?" She asked him. The sadness hit him like a wave.

"I don't think so. If I do, it's nothing compared to what it was. It's more of a- a fondness, I guess, a regret. It doesn't feel like love. Not anymore." He turned to face her, curious.

"Why're you asking, pet?" Lorelai looked at him, despondent.

" I walked by the diner today, and saw Luke in the window. I stood there, looking in at him, and I realized, I didn't even miss him. I went from being insanely in love with him to not even missing him. It just made me realize that not marrying him was the right thing to do, and that got me a little depressed, I guess. One broken engagement you can blame on incompatibility, but two… Two means that there's something wrong with _you, _and I just don't know what it is." She told him softly, tears n her eyes. Will leaned forward, his face next to hers.

"Hey, look at me. There is nothing wrong with you. You're beautiful, and smart, and funny, and caring, and any bloke would be lucky to have you. The only problem I see here is that the guys you get can't appreciate you the way you deserve; they're not good enough, They're not what you need." By now their faces were almost touching. Lorelei's eyes roamed him hotly.

"Then who is? Who's what I need?" she asked him. Will took his eyes off her lips, snapping back to reality, the realty where he couldn't even kiss her.

"I think it's time for bed, Thelma. You've got work in the mornin'." He answered, backing away. Her eyes filled with disappointment as she stood up.

"You're right," she nodded, "I'll see ya tomorrow."

"'Night." He spoke softly as he watched her go upstairs.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

'_Bloody soddin' hell! I can't even touch the crazy bint, and I'm fallin' in love with her! Stupid git.' _He chided himself, walking outside. '_She's just off an engagement, doesn't need you to sweep in an' play rebound guy. Though,' _he thought bitterly of Anya_, 'Y'seem to be pretty good at it, you stupid bastard!'_

He was still cursing himself as he headed towards the woods. He didn't get very far before he found a girl lying on the ground. Will knelt down beside her, seeing if she was alive. Once he saw the bite marks on her neck, he knew that she was gone, and that she had taken with her everything that made this town normal and safe. There were vampires in Stars Hollow.


	4. Reinforcements

**DISCLAIMER: Do I really even need to say it? It's none of it's mine.**

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

Chapter Four:

Lorelei couldn't believe it. She had almost kissed her vampire of a ghost roommate. Yes, she would've gone straight through him if she had continued on, but it was the thought that really mattered here. Then another thought occurred to her. He had almost kissed her too! What did that mean? That they were both caught up in the moment, or it was something more? She groaned, all the questions giving her a headache. She finished getting ready for bed and climbed in, deciding not to have another thought until morning. She had barely lay down fifteen minutes when she heard Will next to her bed, talking to her.

"Lorelei?"

"Ah!" she jumped up, startled.

"Don't do that! Can't you make some kind of noise when you sneak up on people?" she turned on the light and her annoyed fled when she saw the graveness of his face.

"What's wrong Will? What's going on?" She'd never seen him look like this before, and it worried her.

"There's vampires in town." He responded numbly. Her eyes went wide.

"What!"

"I found a body in the woods. A girl. She was dead. They didn't turn her. Young thing too, younger than Rory. Probably 'bout the same age as Dawn." William laughed manically. He looked like he had gone completely insane. " Coroner'll probably way she was anemic, fell and hurt herself in the woods and bled to death quickly. Won't mention the lack of blood around her, course," He added grimly, " They never do." Lorelei just sat there, unable to take it all in.

"I-I don't understand. How are there vampires here? This is Stars Hollow! There isn't crime let alone demons!" she was getting hysterical, which somehow snapped Will out of it. He sat down by her and spoke softly,

" Listen to me, pet. I need you to do something, but y'gotta calm down first, can ya do that?" She nodded, getting a hold on herself.

"I need ya to get on the computer and find the number to a place called 'Angel Investigations'. My grandsire runs the place. An' as much as I hate the poof, I need 'is help. Can y'do that. Luv?" she nodded, standing up, and headed to her laptop. Will stayed where he was, his head in his hands. A few minutes later Lorelei called him over.

"I found their website, but it says they're no longer in business, so I did a search for 'Angel', and 'souled vampire', thinking that it might pop something up, and found where he's working. I guess he just became the CEO of some law firm in LA, uh-" she scrolled down on the web page, "Wolfram and Hart." She finished. Will straightened up at the name.

"Y'sure?" she nodded. A confused look came over is face.

"Why would he go there? He's a stupid git, but even he wouldn't do that. Angelus might, but not Angel." He mused.

"Why? What's wrong with it?" He glanced at her.

"They're pure evil. Run by demons, get evildoers out of trouble, tend to enjoy a good apocalypse, especially the ones they started, stuff like that." Lorelei turned back to the computer.

"Well, it does say that they're trying to make changes. They're not doing _employee sacrifices _anymore? Ew. What's wrong with these people? They're also trying to get away from human blood. That's so gross." Will rolled his eyes at the new information.

"Now that does sound like ol' Peaches. Leading Evil Inc. to redemption and all that rot." He turned back to Lorelei, needing one more thing.

"I need you to call 'em. Ask for Angel. If they won't let Y'talk to 'im, tell 'em." He sighed. "Tell 'em it's about Spike."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Angel and the Fang gang were sitting in his office researching. They might have people to do it for them now. But there was some strange comfort in working together like they used to. Angel's phone rag and he stood up to answer it.

"Angel, There's someone on line one for you." Harmony's voice filtered out of the phone.

"Tell them I'm in a meeting or something." He told her. The last thing he needed right now was to listen to another ex-client describe how they were going to gut him and feed him his own intestines.

"Okay, but it sounded really important. She said something about Spike." Angel went still. Buffy had told him what Spike had done, how he had sacrificed himself and went out a big hero. He was still angry with the younger vampire for being the one next to Buffy during that battle. It should have been him.

"Harmony put 'em on." He told his assistant in a controlled voice.

"This is Angel." He told the person on the phone.

"Angel, hi, this is Lorelei Gilmore from Stars Hollow, Connecticut." A woman's pleasant voice told him.

"What can I do for you, Mrs. Gilmore?"

"Its just Miss. Actually, it's Lorelei. Um, see. We're having a bit of a situation here, and I was told to call you."

"Really? Who told you to call here?" he asked. This was a waste of time.

"Spike." Now all his patience was gone.

"Look lady, I don't know who told you that they're Spike, but they're not. Spike's been dead for the last five months, so you-"

"I know." She interrupted.

"You know?" he repeated, confused.

"Yeah. See, he's been kinda haunting me for the last month or two. Well, maybe not haunting me. But you can't walk right through him, and every time he gets to the edge of town, he ends up back here. I think it's maybe more that a ghost-thing."

"Spike's alive. That would definitely be considered a problem miss Gilmore."

"Lorelei. And no, that's not the problem. The problem is. We have vampires. Okay? This is Stars Hollow, we haven't had a death here in Three years; and now, there's vampires, and they're killing people." She told him. He could tell that she was upset, and he didn't know what to do.

"Well, we could sent out a few people to find your vamps, take care of them for you-"

"No, Spike says it was to be you. He says-" she stopped a moment. Angel could hear talking in the background. "-He says 'if you don't get your ass over here, Peaches, I'm gonna have Lorelei find Buffy.' He has a way with words, doesn't he?" Angel sighed and looked over at his team, who had by now noticed his agitated state.

"We'll be there by tomorrow night. How do we find you?" Lorelei gave him her address, telling him "that if he couldn't find it, to just ask anybody." Angel hung up and spoke to the gang.

"Who's up for a trip?"


	5. Nearness of You

**Disclaimer: have I mentioned today how much I love Joss Whedon and the Palladinos? Without them, we wouldn't have the wonderful shows these stories are based on. (Even if 'The Man' ran the Palladinos out of their own show, evil rich men.)**

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Chapter Five:

**Stars Hollow Gazette**

**Tragedy strikes Stars Hollow.**

Early Tuesday morning, the body of Angela Bern, 16 was found in the woods by Robert Levvy, 69. Levvy was out walking his dog when he stumbled upon the scene.

"I was so shocked I couldn't move for a minute," Levvy told reporters. " The poor girl was just lying there, as still as can be. I just can't believe it."

**An autopsy found that Angela was anemic. She had somehow injured herself sometime Monday night and bled to death in the forest. Her parents say they had no idea she wasn't in bed that night. **

"**She must've snuck out to meet her friends. She was always with those girls."**

**Her mother, Darlene Bern stated. "She was such a sweet girl."**

**Angela is survived her parents Steven and Darlene, and her sister Rebecca. The funeral service will be held at the Stars Hollow Presbyterian Church on Thursday, November 18 at 12:00pm.**

The entire town was a wreck. The last person to die in the town was 83; To lose a child

hurt them all. Everyone in town attended the memorial service for Angela. Almost every

business closed.

Lorelei kept herself busy by concentrating on the real reason Angela had died: Vampires.

She got on the Internet and found out everything she could. Will helped when she asked,

he would've done more, but she was determined to learn as much as she could on her

own. He did tell her what supplies she should get in case she was attacked. Being the

fashionista she is, she already had a large collection of cross necklaces in her jewelry box

left over from the eighties. She now wore them with a devotion that would've made the

Church proud. Will also helped her stock her closet with enough stakes, crucifixes, and

Holy Water to arm half the state. He also talked her into buying a crossbow, which he

hoped Angel, who had called to say they couldn't make it until Friday- would teach her

how to use. He wished that he could teach her himself; standing behind her, his arms

encircling her as he taught her how to properly insert the shaft of wood into the- he broke

off his own train of thought and shook his head. Now was not the time.

As far as he could tell, they were prepared, now all they had to do was wait.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Will was sitting on the couch, staring at the black screen of the tv. He still couldn't

believe that there were vamps here. He knew there were vamps in most towns, he just

never thought that they would be _here. _This place felt like it was straight out of a

storybook; the quaint little town, the quirky characters, festivals almost every month, it

seemed. It was a place apart from the rest of the world, and now the world had violently

forced its way in.

Lorelei came down the stairs wearing a dark blue dress that hugged her very nicely. Will

turned to look at her, and lost the ability to form words. God, she was more beautiful

every time he was her. When he looked at her like this, well, really any time he looked at

her, all he wanted to do was touch her, even to just put his hand on her arm would be

heaven. And he couldn't.

Lorelei felt him staring, and when she looked over, she could see the heat in his eyes. The

way he looked at her; the love, desire, the pure animalistic lust, it made it almost

impossible to stand straight, let alone walk.

They stayed there, staring at each other across the room, electricity practically crackling

between them. Anyone who saw them would've agreed that they made mental copulation

seem possible.

Will knew he had to get away from her before he went insane.

"So, big date or somethin', luv?" he asked, trying to break the spell.

"Oh. Um, it's Friday, Will."

"Right, dinner with mum and pop." She nodded. Silence stretched.

"Rory's coming back with me tonight."

"Yeah, Angel n' the rest are comin' too."

"Right." She said, taking a step closer to him. Will stood and backed away, pulling his

duster around him.

"I think it's better if you stay over there, ducks. Right now, I want you so bad it hurts,

and if you come any closer, it'll kill me." He told her bluntly. She stopped.

"Me too," he looked at her, the surprise on his face comical.

"Look, just because we can't actually do anything doesn't mean we can't see where this

goes, does it? Just think about it; all that no-touching stuff is gonna make the anticipation

climb so high, that when we finally can visit the physical side of things, the whole town

might explode." Will chuckled. He loved her optimism, even though she was wrong.

"Luv, I'm most likely stuck as a ghostie. There's no way this is just gonna disappear. I'm

never gonna-"

"Yes you are." She told him firmly. "You will. I mean, why the hell would they bring

you back from the dead and leave you as solid as a holograph? They- whoever they are-

need you. You're supposed to be back, supposed to be solid. Maybe they knew that

vampires were coming here, and you're their champion again." He looked at her, love in

his eyes. He couldn't believe how she just accepted all of this, accepted _him._ There were

no hoops, no insults, no lurking in the shadows until everyone was gone. She wasn't

ashamed of him. She thought he was a champion.

"Um, tonight when I get back I'm so gonna need a shower. Wash the smell of wealth and

corruption off of me. I've also heard that, uh, there's an exorcist convention in Iowa, all

the big cross-wavers and Holy Waterers are there, not a single one left in the state; so, I

guess that if I for some reason found you sneaking around in the bathroom while I was in

the shower, I couldn't really do anything about it." She smiled to herself. Yep, the look

was back.

"You could tell me if I missed a spot." To hell with subtlety.

"Well, I suppose Peaches could entertain himself for a bit." He spoke, trying to be

nonchalant. Kinda hard to do when he'd unintentionally slipped into his bedroom voice

already. That, among other things, was certainly hard to ignore.

"Uh, you better go, you're gonna be late." He told her, pulling his coat even tighter.

"See ya tonight." Lorelei told him, a twinkle in her eyes. With a smirk, she headed out

the door. Will sighed and carefully sat back down. She was going to kill him yet.


	6. the Start of Something New

**Disclaimer: All hail Joss, Creator of the 'verse. And of course, whoever it is that now owns the Gilmore Girls, I have no idea who it is anymore. **

Chapter.6

The jet landed in New York City a few hours after sunset, much to the relief of Angel. He could live another two hundred years and he still wouldn't trust planes, he was sure of it; at times like these, his age really started to show.

When Angel had told the group what was happening in Connecticut, they were more than willing to help. Immediately, Fred and Wesley started researching by what means Spike had come back, Gunn started sharpening his favorite axe, and Angel started making call, telling people how to get a hold of him. Canceling appointments. Eve gave him a hard time about leaving. Of course, but he could care less. She alone was enough to make him love this trip.

Now, sitting in the car that had met them at the airport, Angel was dreading it. Spike, He was never gonna get rid of him, was he? Angel looked at the people around him; Gunn was flipping through the channels of the car's TV, Fred and Wesley were animatedly talking about some new weapon they were working on together, Lorne was sitting with his legs crossed, idly flipping through a magazine; the only one of them who looked like he actually belonged in this limo. Suddenly, Lorne looked up, a thought having struck him.

"Say, I know someone in Stars Hollow." He remembered. They all looked at him, surprised.

"You do?" Fred asked.

"Oh yea! Patricia LaCosta, I met her in New York years ago. Quite a set of lungs on that little lady. I hope I run into her; if anyone in that town knows what's going on, it's her."

Angel leaned forward, interested.

"You think she'll be able to help us?" He asked

"Angel-cakes, the woman's been aware of the supernatural forever, that's what you get for being a gossip When I first met her, she looked at me, saw I was green, and them told me what a beautiful silk suit I was wearing, which it was. That suit was gorgeous; it was pale blue, with this to die for silver-"

"Lorne, about Patricia?" Angel interrupted.

"Oh, yeah, Well, it turns out the she can read people's aura's. can tell if they're good or evil or lying, that kinda stuff. She's also quite the witch. Big on the healing spells, ones to unleash a person's hidden natural ability, protective wards; she can do bigger spells, but she won't, doesn't like them. She likes to think of herself as a fairy godmother, more than anything. Sweetest little redhead you ever did meet."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

---

William sighed as he heard a car pull up outside. They were here. He had loved the last few months; just him and the girls, hanging out. Him and Lorelei…stupid vamps.

He heard doors shut as Angel and his groupies exited the car. He stood up slowly and headed towards the front door. He opened it before anyone had a chance to knock, and stood facing Angel, Wesley Windham-Pryce, and two people and a demon that he didn't recognize.

"Neighbor'll hear y'knocking and start to wonder." She explained.

"How'd you open the door?" Angel asked, glaring at his grandchilde.

"Picked up a few new tricks, gramps?" Will replied. "Come on in." He said, moving to the side. Slowly, all but Angel went into the house. Angel ground his teeth.

"I need an invite." He growled. Will smirked.

"I had Lorelei invite you before she left."

"Does that work?" asked the cute littlie brunette woman.

"Apparently it does." Will answered as Angel entered.

"You said that Miss Gilmore is gone?" Wesley inquired. Will turned to look at the man.

"Yeah, the bints have dinner with the folks every Friday. 'sides, Lorelei figured it'd be better to have me explain the goin' ons when she's not around; she's still too human to deal with all of this, for the larger part." Will noticed the girl staring at him again.

"What?" he asked gruffly. She jumped; surprised he's noticed her.

"Oh, I'm just trying to understand how you're here. It goes against every law that I know, since you're not exactly dead, so I'm working with the theory that your essence was transferred to the amulet you wore, but that doesn't necessarily explain the non-corporealness, and it also doesn't explain how you projected out of the amulet, so the only thing that I can really come up with is some sort of trigger that would've released you, I still haven't figured out the rest yet, but as far as I _can _figure-"

"Fred, you're babbling again? The bald black gut told her. She blushed.

"Thank you, Charles." Will raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I can see who's the Willow of the group. But really, Fred and Charles? That's special."

"Winifred. Fred's just less of a mouthful."

"Gunn."

"As long as we're making introductions, I'm Lorne. Oof, is that a troubled aura or what? Can you tone down the anger a little, big guy? You're making me sick." The green guy turned even greener as he made himself at home in the living room. Will looked questioningly at Angel.

"Empath." Angel said with a shrug.

The group joined Lorne in the living room and waited for Will to tell them what was going on.

"On, Monday, a girl was killed by a vampire; drained. First death here in years."

"Well, there's vamps everywhere, Spike; there's bound to be a death here or there. Every town has some kind of demon hunter. The one in this town must've just missed this vamp." Will shook his head, vehemently.

"There's not a demon hunter because no one in this town knows about demons. Well, one guy might-Kirk, but he also lives in his mum's basement and can't watch R-rated movies."

"Well, there' has to be somebody."

"There's no-one! I see everything that happens in this soddin' town, I know everyone! There's nobody, Angel! If there were, I wouldn't have called you, would I?" Angel knew that to be true, and stayed quiet.

"Actually, Spikey-bear, there is one person who knows about demons." Lorne spoke up. Will tilted his head.

"Who?"

"Hello, Patty, luv."

"Will! I haven't seen you today; you missed our lunch. Oh, I see you brought some friends- handsome ones." She exclaimed, her eyes roaming over the group. "Lorne?" she asked, surprised to see her old friend.

"Patricia, darling, you look absolutely stunning! I'm surprised you didn't know I was here, I've been in town an hour already!" He hugged the woman, scooting away when she tried to cop a feel.

Well, I felt something, but I didn't know it was you. A lot of new things have been coming in, and most of them plan on staying, it seems. Something's going on." Lorne turned to the group with a smile.

"What I tell ya? Always two ears to the ground." Will still didn't get it.

" Hold a sec. What's all this about Patty?" Patty waved a hand at him.

"Oh, Will, you had to know I was a witch; couldn't you sense it? I've known about you since the start."

"What! Then why the bloody hell didn't ya say anything?" He asked.

"Well, I saw your soul. When I felt that, I knew you were special. But why couldn't you sense me, I wonder?" she tried to usher the group into the house, but all but Will and Lorne had turned to Angel, wanting an explanation.

"Angel, is there something you forgot to mention?" Wesley asked.

"Yeah, like how Bleach-boy over here's got the same package deal as you. Thought you said he was evil." Gunn crossed his arms, wanting an answer. Angel sulked.

"He's not that special. I had one first, y'know." Will smirked.

"Well, well, well; looks like Peaches is none too happy to share his 'Souled Champion; title. Wonder why that is?" Angel glared at the younger vamp.

"Just because you have a soul now doesn't mean she'll want you. She told me, the cookies are practically mine, okay? You got half-baked cookies, I get the done thing!"

"Have you gone completely mad?" Will asked.

"Buffy. She's not for you." He growled. Will shrugged.

"Y'can have her, mate. I've moved on. Found somethin; better than a lifetime of violence and meaningless sex."

"What?" asked Angel. That wasn't really the reaction he was expecting.

"I. Don't. Want. Her." Will told him slowly. He turned and walked into Patty's house, leaving Angel at the mercy of his friends.

"You know, you could've told me he had a soul. I based all my work on the fact that he didn't have one, and now that he does, I have to start all over again." Fred scolded him, heading inside. Wesley and Gunn followed her, Angel lagging behind.

"…things have been weird, y'know? Sense a'smell is off. Can't smell magic anywhere. That's why I didn't sense you. I can touch some stuff, if I concentrate hard enough. Still all Casperly, though." Will was telling Miss Patty when they waked in. They turned to Angel and co.

"I think I know a way to bring Will back to normal, but I can't do it alone." She told them.

"Why? Is it dangerous?" Angel asked.

"Not really, I just don't have the power for it. I deal with small stuff; this is bigger than I've done in al long time. I'll need to find someone to help me." Wesley nodded, sitting on her couch.

"I'll see who I can find. Now about the recent activity; what have you sensed?"

"Oh, things have been coming in from all over. Thankfully, they haven't killed anyone yet, besides poor Angie. They're laying low for now, but they're getting restless."

"Do you know why they're here?" Fred asked.

"All I know is that it's big, and it's going to change this town for good."

"Apocalypse." Gunn stated.

"No, nothing like that, not yet. This just affects this town, it doesn't go any further that I can see. It's bad."

Will set his jaw, realizing what was happening.

"A Hellmouth." They al turned to him.

" A Hellmouth is gonna open here, that's why they're all squattin'. They're just waiting for the fireworks." Angel nodded.

"It would explain the activity. Not many have felt it yet, just the older ones. Once it's stronger, more will come." They all sat silent, taking in the news.

"The Slayers must not've heard yet." Will spoke.

"I'll contact Giles, let him know. He's head of the Council now." Will nodded.

"Angel," he spoke to his grandsire. "Don't tell 'im about me." Angel sat a moment, before nodding his agreement and leaving to make the call. Everything was about to change.


	7. Numb

**Disclaimer: Joss', not mine. The closest I get is my Spike calendar. Gilmore Girls, obviously not mine, or else I'd be filthy rich and be able to afford more than a crappy apartment.**

Ch.7

Giles hung up the phone and rubbed his eyes. He cursed Angel for calling him like this, now. Right when everyone was finally starting to feel the least bit normal, he had to call and expect them to come.

He moved to fix himself a drink, knowing that he was going to have to tell Buffy. She was going to want to go help him; she always did. Angel would call and Buffy would drop everything and rush to the prat.

Giles stopped in the middle of his drink as a thought assailed him. There was a new Hellmouth. He couldn't understand how it had happened; all the books said that the three Hellmouths in existence were all that were left frond when the last of the pure demons were forced out of the world. No new Hellmouths were supposed to ever open. Unless… Giles sat down, the thought stunning him. Closing the Sunnydale Hellmouth had only succeeded in opening a new one. Sunnydale's had been the largest of the three; it only made sense that closing it would open a up new, smaller Hellmouths; sort of fissures- all over the world. Giles remembered all the extra activity that had been appearing out of seemingly nowhere. If destroying their Hellmouth caused a chain reaction. Opening new ones all over, then…

Giles eyes widened in horror.

"Good God, what have we done?"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Dinner was over, the girls had both left, and Richard Gilmore was still in his meeting. Richard sighed wearily; dealing with Wolfram and Hart were always complicated, but this was worse than the rest.

"…So explain to me, Lindsay, what exactly this amulet had to do with the Hellmouth?"

"Well, that was no ordinary piece of ugly jewelry. That amulet held the essence of the newest champion of the people; the second vampire with a soul. A few improvements have been made since the first one, this guy doesn't brood as much." He told him wryly.

"What! You mean that I sent my daughter a-a _vampire_? She never mentioned anything." Richard couldn't believe it; one of his conditions when entering this agreement was that his family remains safe.

"Relax Richard, your daughter is as safe as can be. Spike won't hurt anyone, the soul kinda takes the fun outta torture for him. And besides that, Angel and his little entourage should be arriving sometime tonight, and there's nothing that the original King of Soul likes better than to 'Help the helpless, or hopeless, or mildly pathetic.' She'll be fine." Richard's interest piqued when he heard about Angel and his worry over his daughter forgotten.

"They're coming tonight? Well, that's good news, at last. When are you performing the ritual?"

"Full moon is in two weeks. As soon as it pops up, we're gonna go have some fun." You could hear the smile in his voice.

"Two weeks? Are you sure he'll stay that long?"

"Over the next few days, Things are gonna start getting very interesting. Believe me, he won't even think of leaving."

"Interesting?"

"The Hellmouth is getting g ready to pop. Soon, all the nasty things you can't even imagine are gonna start crawling into that town. He'll go into tragic hero mode and forget about everything but the poor innocents."

"Well, is there anything that I should be doing? Until Angel's out, I have nothing to do."

"Well, if I were you, I'd invest in a cemetery or two."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Angel walked back into the room heavily. Everyone could tell by the look on his face that it was not good news.

"Well, what'd he say?" Gunn asked hesitantly.

"Seems that the Council found out about our new place of business. Giles seems to think that we've all turned to the Dark side. Needless to say, he was not thrilled to hear from me." The looks on his team's faces ranged from resignation to anger to disbelief.

"What! So we go and try a new way of fighting, and they just assume that we're evil? How narrow-minded can you get?" Fred exploded

"Well, in all fairness, we are working for the most evil company in a handful of dimensions. It's expected that they'd be a little wary." Wesley told her.

"So, does this mean that they're not going to send reinforcements?" Gunn asked him. Angel shook his head.

"Just the opposite, actually. He'll probably send his strongest and best, just in case we are evil. Evil guys and a Hellmouths always equal something bad." He turned to Will, "You know who that means." Will nodded.

"Buffy. Scoobies." He tilted his head. "I wonder if they'll send Faith too. Bloody bint's enough to make any man happy at night." He grinned inwardly; he always seems to know what to say to piss of Angel.

"What is wrong with you? We're on top of a Hellmouth _again, _and all you can think about is getting laid! What is with you and Slayers?" His grandsire yelled at him.

"Gee, I don't know Peaches. Must run in the soddin' family!" The two stood glaring at each other, both ready to pounce. Will couldn't help but hope the Angel would break first. The idiot would fly right through him and into the wall on the other side. There were advantages to being a ghost; he could bug Angel to his heart's content and he couldn't do anything about it.

"Gee, it's like my family reunion al over again." Lorne laughed nervously. That seemed to bring the two vamps back long enough to remember where they were.

"Spike, you can't have her. Either of them." Angel told him evenly. Will relaxed a bit and turned to leave.

"I don't want them, you bloody bastard; I just love to piss you off." He called over his shoulder. He left Miss Patty's and headed up the street. He had better things waiting for him at home.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Dawn, get the phone!" Buffy yelled from the shower. The phone continued ringing. Cursing, Buffy ran out of the shower, stopping ling enough to grab a towel. Who knew where Andrew might be lurking around in this place? She reached the phone just before it's last ring.

"Hello?" she answered breathlessly. "Giles, hey!" she greeted brightly, wringing out her hair.

"Buffy, I just received some very disturbing news; I-I wish I didn't have to bother you with it, but there really is no one else…"

Buffy listened numbly as Giles filled her in. She forgot about her shower, forgot about her hair dripping on the wood floors. She stared blankly at a scratch in the green wall of her living room. Tried to concentrate on anything but what he said.

"_Hellmouth opened…dead girl…Angel…Wolfram and Hart…evil…hundreds of Hellmouths…catastrophe…." _She closed her eyes and tried to force the words out of her head. She couldn't. She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry.

"Giles?" She whispered. "When do I have to leave?"


End file.
